


Stuck

by boywholivednotdied



Category: Wicked - All Media Types
Genre: Drama, F/M, Humour, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-13
Updated: 2014-01-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 11:06:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/965217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boywholivednotdied/pseuds/boywholivednotdied
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elphaba Thropp's life is turned upside down when she meets an irritating boy on a post-graduation trip.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is based off a Hindi movie called 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' (roughly translated means 'The lover will take the bride away'), which is one of my favourite romantic comedy-dramas of all time. I was thinking about it and it occurred to me how well the story would work with Fiyero and Elphaba... so here it is.
> 
> I still haven't read the Wicked book (I know, I suck) so I might get some things like the geography of Oz and the nature of their wedding ceremonies, etc wrong... I'll be making stuff up for the most part, so please bear with me. Also since I haven't read the book, characters like Avaric and Milla aren't like the canon characters... I've sort of given them my own characteristics. Sorry if that annoys anyone.

**Chapter 1**

“You’re kidding me!”

Galinda’s horror-struck expression made Elphaba want to laugh. “You seriously haven’t heard of it?”

Elphaba shrugged, “I don’t get out much.”

Galinda shook her head disbelievingly, making her golden curls bounce. “But... it’s all anyone has been able to talk about for the last like, 20 days!”

“Well, it’s the first I’m hearing of it.”

“You need to start hanging out with more people.”

Elphaba scoffed. “Yeah, I should stop turning away the hordes people who are dying to be friends with me.” She gestured around the empty coffee shop. “Face it, Lin, you are the only person in the world who voluntarily hangs out with the green girl.”

Galinda huffed, “Oh stop it Elphie, you are amazifying. People just... need to get to know you.”

Elphaba gave a her small smile as she sipped her coffee.

It was odd that she was having this conversation with Galinda, when less than five months ago they absolutely loathed each other. Elphaba could still remember the angry rant she had gone on, after the first day of college, telling Nessa about the ‘annoying, high-pitched, blonde’ girl in her history class who kept making jokes about her skin.

“That’s what I’m saying Lin,” she said, “People don’t want to get to know me. My skin freaks them out, so they don’t even try.”

“Alright, you have a point.” Galinda agreed begrudgingly, “But it’s also partly your fault.”

Elphaba gaped, “My fault?”

Galinda nodded, “Yes, you’re really hostile around people... and while I understand why, I think you need to give people a chance. I’m sure not everyone is as bothered by your skin as you think.” She beamed at her, “Like me.”

Elphaba snorted, “You used to be. We used to hate each other, remember?”

“Yes, but after I got to know you it only took one night for us to become good friends.”

“After you got to know me or after I got you into Madame Morrible’s Sorcery Seminar?” Elphaba asked, playfully.

“Which you only did because I set Nessa up on a date!”

“Touché”

Galinda smiled and picked up her hot chocolate, taking a tentative sip.

“A lot has happened since then, huh?” Galinda mused, gazing out the window.

Elphaba sighed. It was true.

Too much had happened since that night.

The biggest change in Elphaba’s life since then, took place on the night of the dance itself. Her father was furious that she had allowed Nessa to go ‘traipsing around in a short dress with some boy’, following which he made their house rules even stricter. She and Nessa had almost been put on house arrest - they were only allowed to leave the house during certain slots of time which were allocated by Frex. It was completely ridiculous... not to mention unfair, that this had come at a time when Elphaba finally had someone she wanted to hang out with. But neither she or Nessa had protested the rules. They were not in a habit of standing up to their father. It was just easier to remain quiet.

Elphaba recalled that once, a long time ago, she had asked Frex if she could go to a boarding school. There was one called Shiz and it sounded perfect to her. She had told him that she would take Nessa along with her and take care of her there, but he had gotten so enraged at the idea that Elphaba never brought it up again. Instead she had remained in Munchkinland, as she had her whole life, feeling more and more stifled every day.

But then again, she thought, looking at the blonde girl gaze contentedly at the trees swaying in the breeze outside their window, remaining at Winterfoote Academy had proven to be a blessing, because that’s where Elphaba had ended up meeting her best and only friend in the world.

“But Elphie...” Galinda said, turning back to the lanky girl before her, “I honestly can’t believe you haven’t even heard of _Southland Tours._ They’re super famous. Their newest tour takes you all over Oz. Basically, they have this route, right? And they stop for a few days at each place so you can sightsee, and they host events and it’s really high class, so everything is really posh,” Galinda was practically bouncing in her seat.

“You don’t have to convince me, Lin. It sounds incredibly exciting. I’d absolutely love to go.”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Galinda demanded, “Don’t say it’s because you can’t afford it, because your dad is the governor. That means he has money, right?”

“It’s not about money. It’s my father. He’s not going to let me go... you know how he is,” she sighed, “He’s not going to let me leave Nessa.”

Galinda’s face fell.

“It’s going to be no fun without you,” she pouted.

She paused for a moment looking like a dog that had just been kicked, before her expression turned into one of stubbornness instead.

“You have to do something!” She said, resolutely, “You have to talk to him. This is our graduation trip for Oz’s sake. What was all that hard work you did for otherwise?”

“Getting a job?” Elphaba suggested.

“Gross,” Galinda wrinkled her nose, “That just proves it. You need some fun, Elphaba Thropp. You have to come for this.”

“But I can’t. You know...”

“When this trip is over I’m going to have to go back home and Oz knows when we’ll see each other again.” Galinda’s eyes were wide, “This trip is going to be like... a goodbye for us.”

Elphaba’s heart sank at the reminder. Ever since graduation she had tried her hardest not to think about the inevitable - that Galinda was going to go back to her home - but it was time to face the facts. Her best friend was leaving her for an indefinite amount of time and Elphaba was going to have to go back to being stuck in Munchkinland, absolutely alone.

Galinda had been a boarder at Winterfoote, and Elphaba used to spend time in her dorm room when she needed to get away from her own house. Over time, Galinda’s room had transformed from an escape to an oasis. It the only place in town Elphaba could go to - apart from the library, of course - where she didn’t feel completely suffocated. Knowing that Galinda was moving back to Gillikin and no longer going to be just a few short steps away from her, filled Elphaba with an unbelievable dread.

Now more than ever, she wanted... no, she needed... to go on this trip.

But as much as she ‘needed’ it, she knew that it wasn’t going to change anything.

Elphaba sagged in her chair.

“But my father...”

“At least talk to him? If you don’t even ask him you’ll never know.”

Galinda folded her arms across her chest. “You have nothing to lose. The worst he can do is say no. Right?”  
Elphaba grimaced knowing that the worst her father could do was a whole lot more than just saying no, but she didn’t contradict her friend. There was a long pause where neither girl said anything - Elphaba too uneasy to agree, and Galinda adamantly refusing to accept anything less than her way.

As expected, Elphaba broke the silence.

“Ok, I’ll ask him,” she agreed quietly.

She immediately regretted this decision however, because at her words the coffee shop filled with shrieks and her coffee was almost knocked over in the blonde girl’s attempt to grab her into a hug.

 

Upon coming back from the coffee shop Elphaba found herself alone at home. Her father was off on a business trip for a few days, Nessa was still out with her group of Munchkin friends and the ‘nanny’ Frex had hired to take care of them was off doing some chores. The unexpected privacy relieved her and she took advantage of it by reading a new book she had bought called _King and the Lionheart_. It was a gorgeously written, poetic book that followed the story of a young sorcerer who went to work for a king. The book was set in a fantasy land, full of dragons and crystal caves with non-fantasy themes like isolation and unattainable love. Despite the fact that none of it was set in Oz, Elphaba found herself relating to the lead character, Christopher, to such an extent that there were parts where she found herself welling up with tears. In particular, she found herself weeping when Chris fell in love with the king of the land, but couldn’t admit his feelings not only because they were on two different social standings, but because they both were men. Elphaba didn’t consider herself a romantic, but the way the author had described Chris’s yearning and melancholy made her almost believe she secretly was.

The sound of the front door opening brutally awakened her from the book’s trance.

“Nessa?” She called. She leaned forward on her bed, trying to look through the open door out into the hallway. A few minutes later, her little sister wheeled herself into the room.

“Hey, Elphaba,” she smiled. She stopped her wheelchair by the bed and gazed up at her sister. “A new book again? I thought you were reading _Songs of Summer_?”

“Oh, I finished that last night,” Elphaba shut her book reluctantly, shoving it under her pillow.

“How do you read so much?” Nessa asked, mystified, “I can hardly finish a book a month. Forget a day.”

Elphaba shrugged vaguely, “I don’t know... I guess... I’m a fast reader.”

“But why do you want to read so much?”

“It’s a nice escape. From reality, you know... it’s nice to get away once in a while.”

“Yeah, but you do it all the time.”

Her sister’s words made her aware, once again, of that odd feeling that had been consistently growing inside her since she was old enough to understand it. It was kind of an emptiness, she realized, an emptiness that only went away when she was reading one of her books.

“My friends are such losers,” Nessa was saying, “They keep telling me to go to this party tonight and I keep telling them that I can’t because father won’t allow it, and they’re all like ‘Nessa just wants to study all the time’,” she sighed irritably, “I wish father would let us out more.”

She turned to Elphaba and noticed that she was chewing on her bottom lip, not listening.

“What’s the matter with you?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elphaba turned to look at her startled, “Nothing. Why?”

“Please, I can tell there’s something bothering you. What is it?”

“I...”

Elphaba hesitated before finally saying, “There’s this... trip. A graduation trip, that I want to go for with my college friends. Well, friend... but her friends are going too. Basically it’s this tour throughout Oz and it sounds really good and I really want to go... and I think I’m going to ask father for permission.”

Nessa’s mouth was hanging slightly open in incredulity.

“How long is it for?” She asked.

Elphaba wrung her hands nervously. “A month.”

“Oh, a month. I see,” Nessa nodded slowly, “Listen. I’m just going to go send a note to the doctor.”

Elphaba frowned at the abrupt change of conversation. “Why? Are you sick?”

“No, to tell him that you’ve gone insane. What is the matter with you?” Nessa demanded, “Do you honestly believe father will let you go on a trip for a month?”

“I know it’s unlikely...”

“Unlikely? It’s impossible! He doesn’t allow us to leave the house at all, three days of the week. Do you honestly think he’s going to let you go wandering around Oz for a month?”

“Well, I did just finish college, I mean... I’m practically an adult now.” Elphaba said, “There has to be a point in time where he lets me make my own decisions, right?”

It sounded more like she was convincing herself than Nessa.

Nessa rolled her eyes, “You tell yourself what you want, Elphaba. But if our track-record is any indication, you’re going to be stuck in this house till the day dad finds you a husband.”

Elphaba slumped down into her pillows as Nessa left the room. She groaned loudly and covered her face with her hands. Nessa was right. She was kidding herself. There was no way her father was ever going to let her go on this trip.

Never ever.

Elphaba was suddenly struck by an overpowering sense of desolation.

_I have to go on this trip.  
_

_I have to get away from here.  
_

_I just have to._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

“You have nothing?” Avaric looked doubtfully at Fiyero. “Seriously?

Fiyero turned out his pockets.

“See? Absolutely zilch. My dad’s cut me off completely.”

Avaric groaned as his friend leaned against the walls of the Indigo coloured shop, exasperatedly running his fingers through his dark blonde hair.

“Why has he cut you off now?” He demanded.

Fiyero shrugged vaguely, “Because he says I’m not responsible or whatever.”

“But you graduated, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but just barely. And dad says if I’m going to inherit the throne I’m going to have to start working and take on more responsibilities and all that shit.”

Fiyero looked into the window of the shop, adding thoughtfully, “Do you think we could just steal it?”

Avaric shook his head. “We tried that once before, remember? We got in trouble with the cops.”

“Oh yeah.” Fiyero grimaced at the memory, “Dad had to bail us out.”

Avaric snickered, “He looked so ridiculous with those royal robes in a prison.”

Fiyero ignored dwelling on the memory in favour of trying to come up with a solution to their dilemma, but he had nothing. He considered giving up and telling Avaric to just forget the whole thing, but decided against it; after the lecture his parents had given him that morning about how ‘it was time he got his act together’, he really needed alcohol in his system.

“I can’t wait for that tour thing,” Avaric said, pulling out a cigarette from his pocket. “It’s going to be off the hook.”

“Yeah,” Fiyero agreed. “Plus, it’s going to be my last month of freedom, before I come back here and dad forces me to start working.”

“But at least he’s allowing you to go.”

“That’s true... he’s not overly strict in that way.”

The extent to which his parents put up with his reckless behaviour actually did surprise Fiyero. His father had once told him that it was because he knew what Fiyero was going through. There were pressures that went along with being a crown prince, the King had said, and if Fiyero’s way of dealing with those pressures was getting drunk and skipping classes, so be it. He said he knew that it was unfair that Fiyero was born into this almost pre-determined way of life - full of rules and expectations - and to make up for it, the king was willing to extricate him from whatever situation he got himself into. Not only that, but the king had also striven to insure that Fiyero stayed out of the papers as much as possible, so that he could have something akin to a normal childhood. Sure, Fiyero’s face did occasionally appear in the Ozian Times and yes, occasionally people did figure out that he was the Vinkun Prince and began treating him like he was nothing short of the Wizard of Oz... but usually when he was outside of the Vinkus all he would get was some curious looks, as though people were trying to figure out whether they knew him or not.

When Fiyero was a child he loved the attention that his royal status got him and cursed his father for attempting to keep his identity hidden, but over time he’d come to appreciate his parents’ venture to keep him out of the spotlight. He enjoyed nights like this where he could just be a normal twenty-something year old and hang out with his friends and do ‘normal youngster things’. But Fiyero knew that soon, all that would change. In a few years he was going to inherit the throne... and even though his father had excused his rash behavior in the past, the king had decided that this tour was the last thing he would allow his son to do before he began intensive training on ‘how to run the kingdom’. In a way, Fiyero realized, this tour was a farewell to his young, irresponsible ways.

“Man, if I had been expelled from the amount of schools you have been expelled from, I would never be allowed to see the sun again,” Avaric was saying as he lit his cigarette, inhaling deeply.

Fiyero shrugged but said nothing in response.

“So I’m picking you up in my carriage on the way to the train station on Thursday, right?”

“Yeah.” Fiyero said distractedly, shooting the store window another longing look. “It’s really stupid that we have to take a train to get to another train though. I mean, why can’t the tour train just... pick us up along the way, or something?”

“The Vinkus is the almost last stop,” Avaric reminded him. “Relax. Between you, me and Boq the train ride to Munchkinland is going to be awesome.”

“I guess.” Fiyero scratched the back of his neck agitatedly. “Man, I really need some beer.”

“Find a way to get money and we’ll buy some.” Avaric said, simply.

Fiyero sighed, but wrinkled his brow trying to come up with a plan, when he spotted a middle-aged man in a long red coat getting into a carriage across the street. Fiyero watched him intently, noting the way he walked, his well-tailored clothes and his neatly-oiled hair.

 _He’s a gentlemen,_ Fiyero decided, _Someone with an important job._

It was only when he noticed the gold fob watch hanging from the man’s pocket that his face lit up with a sly smile.

“I’ve got it. Follow my lead.”

Fiyero shoved his hands in his pockets and put on a miserable expression before heading dejectedly towards the carriage. Taking the hint, Avaric threw away his cigarette and imitated him, even mussing up his own hair to enhance the illusion of seeming frazzled. He wasn’t sure exactly what Fiyero’s plan was, but knowing that the prince had a plan was enough for him. There were a lot of things Fiyero wasn’t good at, but Avaric had to admit, the one thing he was brilliant at was reading people. He couldn’t count the amount of times Fiyero had come up with some ridiculous idea which had ended up working because he had made a correct assumption about a stranger. Of course, there were several times when their plans did end up failing miserably, but in those cases, Fiyero’s royal connection was usually enough to get them out of trouble. Either way, Avaric always had a story by the end of it.

They stopped in front of the carriage and Fiyero gave a loud, dramatic sigh.

The man paid them no attention.

 _Ozdammit._ Avaric thought, noticing the man’s stiff body posture and hard eyes. _This guy looks like a hard-ass. Fiyero may have taken on more than he can handle._  
But then again, Fiyero always did say that he loved a challenge.

“Hey mister,” Fiyero called, putting on a strained voice, “Do you have any money to spare?”

The man turned to look at them. He was a short, stout man with shoulder-length, straight black hair and beady little eyes. His ring heavy fingers danced anxiously on the seat of the carriage as he scrutinized them.

“What do you need money for?” He asked, suspiciously.

“Our brother,” Fiyero said, sniffling, “He’s really sick and we need money to buy medicine for him.”

“Yeah,” Avaric said, jumping in, “We left our money at home.”

“Then go back and get it,” the man said, gruffly.

“We can’t!”

Fiyero’s eyes were brimming with tears.

Avaric had always marveled at his friend’s acting skills, but today his mind was blown. For a second there, he almost believed that Fiyero needed the money for a sick brother. The prince must have really wanted that beer.

“Our dad will beat us if we go home without the medicine,” Fiyero was saying, choking back a sob, “We’re scared.”

The man’s expression softened.

“Can’t you explain the situation to your father?” He asked, “Tell him that you forgot the money?”

“No!” Fiyero sounded completely fraught, “He won’t listen! He never listens.”

He paused, seemingly overcome with emotion, before turning to Avaric with an anguished expression.

“Oh, you idiot! Why did you have to leave the money at home? Dad’s going to be so mad and poor little...Boq... is going to be so miserable knowing that we didn’t get the medicine to ease his suffering.”

Avaric struggled to suppress a giggle at the mention of their friend’s name.

“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot,” he said, mournfully, “This is all my fault.”

“What’s the matter with your brother?” The man asked Fiyero.

Fiyero’s voice faltered, “He has...”

_Shit._

“...malaria.”

The man nodded sympathetically, and Avaric mentally jeered.

_Nailed it._

“I guess I could spare something.” The man muttered to himself.

Avaric could see a triumphant flash in Fiyero’s eyes, but it disappeared in a heartbeat.

“Here you go,” The man pulled out a few notes from his wallet and handed it to them. “I hope your brother gets well soon.”

“Thank you so much sir!” Fiyero’s voice trembled as he reached to take the money. “I wish you all the luck in the world for your kindness.”

The man gave them a small smile, before barking instructions to his driver. They waved awkwardly as the carriage took off down the road.

“You are a genius!” Avaric cried as soon as the man had disappeared from sight, “I never thought I would ever call you that, but it’s true! ‘I wish you all the luck in the world for your kindness’?”

He sniggered, “Did you major in bullshitting? You, Prince Tiggular, are truly worthy of the throne.”

Fiyero bowed deeply, “Thank you for those kind words, sir.”

“And why did you have to say Boq’s name? I was dying back there!”

Fiyero grinned, “It was the first name that came to me.” He shook his head, amazed. “Man, I can’t believe he fell for that!”

“Beer!” Avaric cheered, as they ran into the store.

The emerged a few minutes later, roaring with laughter, their arms laden with cans of beer.

“I can’t wait to tell...”

Fiyero stopped dead in his tracks, suddenly filled with an extreme disquiet, his unfinished sentence hanging in mid-air. Standing before them with his eyes flashing was the man from the carriage - the one who had given them the money. Fiyero was certain that he and Avaric were both stronger and more agile than the man, but he still couldn’t stop a feeling of fright from creeping over him. For some odd reason, in their current situation, the man seemed like a figure even more threatening than the cops.

Avaric squirmed uneasily by his side as they stood in a deathly silence for a few minutes before the man spoke.

“You little brats.” He spat each word slowly and harshly. “There I was, helping you out of the kindness of my heart, and you were lying to me... to get beer, at that!”

“They.. uh... were out of medicine,” Avaric put in, lamely.

Fiyero shot him a _shut up you imbecile_ look.

“I came back to give you my card,” the man said, “To tell you that you could approach me for help if your parents continued beating you. But I’ve changed my mind. I hope your parents do beat you, because you boys deserve a good thrashing.”

He swept away then - back to his carriage - his long coat flapping in the breeze, too humiliated to utter another word and too livid to hear their excuses.

Not that they had any excuses. They stood limply in front of the store, anxiously watching as the man disappeared into the darkening evening.

“Well, at least he didn’t take away our beer,” Fiyero said eventually, shrugging it off. “That was my main concern.”

“Yeah, what else can he do to us?” Avaric snickered, “Force us to wear those hideous long coats?”

The two of them burst out laughing again as they walked away from the store, forgetting the incident faster than it took for them to finish their first beer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_I have to do it tonight._ Elphaba repeated it like it was a chant. _It has to be tonight._

Galinda had warned her again, that same morning, that tickets for the tour were running out fast. _If you don’t buy them soon,_ she had said, _you won’t be able to go on the trip even if your father says yes._

So Elphaba had decided that tonight had to be the night she would ask him. This was her only chance, she decided, and she was not about to back out... no matter how frightening the thought of his anger was.

She looked anxiously at the dinner table; It was set up perfectly, with three beautiful place settings. She had taken out the good plates and cutlery from inside an almost never opened closet in their kitchen, and had done up the table with flowers. The whole house smelled of lavender scented candles and the Vegetable Pot Pie she had baking in the oven. Everything looked fantastic. But the more she looked at the outcome of her hard work, the more she hated it. There was something wrong with it, she knew, and though she couldn’t tell what it was, her father certainly would. He had a talent for finding mistakes in things... particularly things that Elphaba did.

She paced nervously around the room, thinking about all the other things she could possibly do to in anticipation of her father’s arrival. Apart from preparing the dinner, she had set all his mail in a neat pile on his desk in the sitting room, she had made sure his robe was washed and ironed and she had purposefully avoided using hot water during her bath so that there would be enough for him when he got home. She knew she was going a little overboard with the preparations for his arrival. Based on books, and things that Galinda had told her about her family, she knew that it normally shouldn’t have taken this much effort to convince a parent to let one go on a trip, but she also realized that her family wasn’t ‘normal’ - she was green, her sister was crippled and her father hated her. Not to mention that she had killed her own mother when she was three years old. Elphaba pushed the thought out of her mind before it began eating away at her conscience again. No, she was willing to go that extra mile if it meant that Frex would even consider letting her go.

The door opened with a loud slam and she took a deep breath, preparing herself.

“Hello father...” She began, but Frex stormed past her, dumping his bag on the floor furiously.

_Oh no._

His flared nostrils and narrowed eyes filled her with distress.

_No no no. Don’t be angry. Not tonight._

“Is everything ok?” She asked, feigning concern,“Was the business meeting alright?”

“The meeting was fine.”

His reply was curt. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

“And the trip back? I know it’s a long journey from the Vinkus to here...”

“The trip was fine,” he growled, “It was what happened before the trip.”

The dread in the pit of Elphaba’s stomach grew even stronger.

“What happened?” She asked, reluctant to know the answer.

“It was these two idiotic boys,” He said furiously, standing beside the table, staring at his shoes as though they were the offenders. “I was getting into a carriage, on my way to the train station, when they came up to me sniveling, and asked me for money... claiming it was to buy medicine for a sick brother. And then when I gave it to them, they went and bought beer with it! Can you imagine that?!” He threw his arms in the air, “Can you imagine the mindset of these youngsters to lie that their sibling is sick to get money off a poor, unsuspecting citizen?”

He shook his head. “I’ve been in that train for a whole day and the thought of them still riles me up. You know what the problem with these children are? Their parents don’t set any rules for them.”

He looked pointedly at Elphaba. “You girls should consider yourself lucky that I’ve been so firm with you, otherwise you might have ended up like those banshees. Taking advantage of other people’s kindnesses to get drunk. Where do they get the nerve?”

He was about to march angrily out of the room, when he noticed the decorated table.

“What is this?” he demanded.

“Nothing,” Elphaba said, meekly, “Just a welcome home dinner.”

He gave her a hard look, regarding her with distaste before finally saying, “Good. I’m starving. Where’s Nessa?”

“She’s in her room.”

“I’m going to go say hi to her.”

He walked towards the door, then paused and turned back to look at her.

“You used the lavender candles. How many times do I have to tell you I hate the lavender candles? Can’t you do anything right?”

He then proceeded to stalk out of the room in search of her sister.

His parting words had no effect on Elphaba, however, as she suddenly had bigger things on her mind than the fact that Lavender scented candles made Frex sneeze.

 _I can’t believe this,_ she thought, tears stinging her eyes, _Why does this have to happen on the one night I need to ask him something?_

There was no way Frex would give her permission to go on the trip... not when he was in a mood like this. She tried to convince herself that she didn’t care - that she probably wouldn’t have gotten permission anyway - but the despair in her heart didn’t allow her to believe it.

 _I hope that beer was worth it._ She thought aggressively. _Those assholes have no idea that they just singlehandedly ruined my life._

 

“Father?” Elphaba asked quietly, peeking into the living room.

She had just finished seeing Nessa to bed, and was about to go to sleep herself when she thought again about asking Frex about the trip. She had promised herself she would do it tonight.... and Frex had calmed down after the dinner. After all, Vegetable Pot Pie and Nessa had always been his two favourite things, and they seemed to help get his mind off the incident with the two boys. He was now reading his mail and drinking coffee in the sitting room, exhausted but seemingly content.

This was the her moment.

“Yes, Elphaba,” he said wearily, “Come in.”

His tone didn’t bother her... she was used to it. It was no surprise that Frex didn’t enjoy spending one-on-one time with his green-skinned, wife-killing child. She walked into the room and stood awkwardly beside the couch as he finished reading his letter.

As she waited - just for a moment - the thought of not getting permission and just going for the trip in secret crossed her mind. She imagined just sneaking off without telling him anything. She could hide her bag in the coffee shop... surely Anna would hide it for her... and then at night when Frex and Nessa were asleep, she could sneak down there, grab it and run to the hotel room Galinda had been staying in since graduation. Then, the next morning they would get on the train and soon be chugging far away from Munchkinland. She felt a surge of exhilaration picturing it, but it went away as soon as she realized that it wouldn’t work. It would hardly take Frex a day to figure out that a large sum of money was missing, and with his power and contacts finding out that his green-skinned daughter was on the tour train would be a breeze. As governor all he’d need to do would be to send a telegram to the first station on the route and they’d throw her off the train as soon as possible. He’d then bring her back to their house and never let her step foot in the sun again for as long as she lived.

“What do you want?” He asked, finishing his letter and looking up at her.

“I... wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes, that’s obvious.”

She shifted uneasily, unsure of how to begin and he sighed irritably.

“Out with it, girl. I’ve had a long day.”

She tugged nervously at the sleeve of her pajama top. This is it.

“There’s uh... this trip... and it’s for a month. There’s this company... _Southland Tours_ , they’re called... and they go all around Oz and sightsee and stuff. My friends are going and I sort of... uh... wanted to go too.”

Frex raised his eyebrows.

“A month?”

“Yes... but please father,” she said, hastily, “I’ve never asked you for anything in the past. This is something I really want to do. Please let me do this. I just want one month to say goodbye to my friend Galinda and explore Oz, that’s all. And I promise when I come back I’ll do everything you need me to do. I’ll do extra work around the house, I’ll drop Nessa to college every morning...” she trailed off, nervously, suddenly noticing her father’s strange expression.

He looked almost amused, she realized, like she had reminded him of a funny joke someone had told him. But he remained silent, his small, dark eyes hovering over her face as he contemplated her words. He finally coughed softly.

“If I allow you to go on this trip,” he began slowly.

Her heart jumped.

“You will agree to everything I have planned for you when you come back?”

_Oh my Oz. Is he actually agreeing to this?_

“Yes father,” she said, trying not to sound too eager, “I promise.”

“Whatever it may be... whatever I tell you to do, you will do it without complaint?” He asked.

Elphaba nodded vigorously.

“Alright then,” he gave her a forced smile, “I guess you’re going on a trip.”

Elphaba’s head was swimming.

“Thank you so much! Thank you!” The words were falling out of her mouth with sheer joy. “You have no idea...”

“But before you leave, you must make preparations,” he said, cutting her off, “Nanny must know Nessa’s schedule and you have to train her in the duties she must perform while you are away. You have to tell her when to iron my shirts and how to brew proper coffee and when to water the plants. You can’t just waltz out of here without making the proper arrangements, understood?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll sit with her tomorrow and go over everything.”

He nodded and turned back to his letters. “See that you do.”

Elphaba was practically floating by the time she got back to her room.

_He’s really allowing me to go!_

She replayed the scene in her mind, unable to believe that it had actually happened.

_I’m really getting out of here for a whole month!_

For a whole entire month she was allowed to do whatever she wanted. She could spend time with Galinda without worrying about doing chores and taking care of Nessa and getting home by eight. She could eat whatever she wanted without making sure that it was something her father and Nessa wanted to eat too. She could read for hours and not be disturbed by someone telling her to go out and buy more toothpaste.

For a whole entire month, she would not have to bother about taking care of anyone else and could just think of herself for a change.

Elphaba felt like her heart was going to burst.

Finally, for once in her twenty-two miserable years of existence, Frex had made her feel truly happy.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Avaric and Boq were halfway to Munchkinland when they realized that they had forgotten to pick up Fiyero.

Avaric had been so excited thinking about the trip, that on Thursday morning, he had driven straight to the train station where he met up with Boq. The two of them had then boarded the train, chattering happily as it moved through cities and cornfields, until Boq realized that the prince wasn’t with them.

Now, standing on platform 7 of the Munchkinland train station beside the _Southland Tours_ train, the two boys were jittery and nervous, fervently hoping that the prince would somehow... magically... be able to make it on time.

“I can’t believe you,” Boq snapped for what seemed like the fiftieth time, “How can you forget your best friend?”

“You didn’t realize he wasn’t there either.” Avaric reminded him, stubbornly.

“But I wasn’t the one who was supposed to pick him up!”

Avaric glowered at him, but then sighed deeply. “I really hope he doesn’t get left behind.”

“Think of the bright side... considering you forgot to pick him up, you might not even miss him.” Boq reasoned.

Avaric shot him another dirty look.

“Shut up, Boq. Why don’t you just go... socialize or something. This is the town of your people isn’t it? Go be short and munchkinny with the locals and stop irritating me.”

“Why? So you can leave me behind too?” Boq challenged.

“Are you never going to let this go? You could have said something at the station. But you didn’t. You forgot him as well!”

“Yes, but I was the one who realized he was missing. If it were up to you, you probably wouldn’t have realized he wasn’t there until you got back to the Vinkus and he beat the crap out of you.”

“You are such an ass... and Fiyero couldn’t beat the crap out of me.”

“Yes he could.”

“No way, man!”

As the two boys bickered, a cluster of three girls, standing a few feet away from them on the same platform were also anxious and jumpy.

“I can’t believe Elphie isn’t here!” Galinda was saying as her eyes roamed the crowd, hoping to see a flash of green, “It isn’t like her to be late.”

“Maybe her father changed his mind,” Angie suggested, “He’s really strict, right?”

“Maybe... but he wouldn’t do that, would he?” Galinda asked, her brow creasing in worry. “I mean... No one’s that cruel.”

Angie shrugged, “I don’t know anything about the governor. I’ve only seen him once. He was walking on a road wearing a long coat and he looked really scary.”

“Maybe she had an accident,” Milla piped up, “Maybe her carriage slid on the road and crashed into a milk farm and she is now lying wounded among the cows crying for help... but no one can hear her. Because the farmers are on that strike.”

Galinda gaped at her, “Why would you...”

“What’s a milk farm?” Angie interrupted, wide-eyed, “Is it where bottles of milk grow from the ground?”

Galinda decided to ignore the two of them, and continued looking desperately through the crowd instead, when a voice on the loudspeaker made an announcement that their tour would be leaving in five minutes.

“No!” Galinda shrieked at the bodiless voice, “She’s not here yet!”

“Let’s go, we don’t want to miss it too,” Milla said.

“I’m sorry, Lin.” Angie said, giving her a sorrowful look.

“We can’t leave without her!” Galinda looked stricken, “We can’t!”

But as the crowd rushed onto the train, Galinda and her two friends were swept aboard, along with Avaric and Boq... all of them still fretting about their missing friends.

 

Fiyero reached the platform just as the last of the students trickled off it and onto the awaiting train. A sense of panic rose up in his chest.

_Oh shit!_

The thought of missing the train after that long trip from the Vinkus was an extremely unnerving concept and though the train wasn’t moving yet, Fiyero wasn’t about to take any chances. He broke out into a sprint.

 _Bloody Avaric,_ he thought aggressively, _See if I ever ask that idiot for a ride again._

With a grunt, he managed to jump into the first open compartment he could find, right as the train let out a shrill sigh and began trudging down the track.

_Yes! Oh thank Oz!_

He sighed with victory, congratulating himself on just having made it by the skin of his teeth and was about to go into the empty compartment, when something caught his eye.

Leaning out to peer at the moving platform, he realized that something was running towards the train, making an incomprehensible sound.

Fiyero squinted to try and make out what it was, when he realized with a jolt that it was a girl.

And not just any girl... a girl with green skin.

She was sprinting beside the vehicle as it started gaining speed, her long, black skirt billowing behind her.

Fiyero was rendered paralyzed, staring open-mouthedly at the figure that was slowly coming closer. He was only brought out of his shock when she shrieked “I need to get on this train!”

Jumping into action, Fiyero held onto a railing and leaned forward, stretching his hand out towards her. She grabbed it, and he pulled her into the train compartment just as the train broke out into full speed. She fell into his arms, dropping her suitcase onto the floor of the cabin where it opened, spilling its contents everywhere. For a brief moment, he found himself holding her, their eyes interlocking... but she quickly ducked her head and he let go of her, moving back into the empty cabin.

“It’s a good thing that wasn’t you, huh?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

He suddenly felt oddly sheepish.

“Huh?”

He gestured towards the fallen clothes.

“It’s a good thing... I didn’t fall to the floor of the train and explode?” she asked slowly.

He actually had no idea what he meant to say and responded instead with a rueful smile. She gave him a strange look and then bent down, picking up the fallen clothes.

“Thanks,” she murmured, not meeting his gaze. Fiyero gave her a small nod.

Dumping his backpack on the side, he looked around the compartment. It was small and completely empty, with no seats or windows. The walls were plain except for the exit on the side and a door leading to the other compartments. He walked over to it and tried opening it, but eventually came to the conclusion - after ten minutes of rattling the handle - that it was locked.

 _I’m stuck in an empty luggage compartment with a green-skinned girl._ Fiyero wondered again how he always found himself in such weird situations.

He turned to look at the green girl who had - in the mean time - settled herself into a corner of the cabin, and was now reading a book with a pair of glasses perched on her nose.

“The door is locked. You wouldn’t have a key by any chance, would you?”

She gave him another odd look and then returned to her book without responding. Obviously it had been an extremely lame joke - if you could even call it a joke - but Fiyero felt a brief flush of annoyance that she didn’t even acknowledge that he’d spoken. Why wasn’t she talking to him?

“I’m Fiyero.”

She didn’t even look up from her book. “Elphaba.”

“I’ve never heard that name before.”

She remained silent.

“But you probably hear it all the time,” he joked.

More Silence.

“You know... since it’s your name and all.”

She gave a small cough and Fiyero shifted uneasily in his place, trying to think of something else to say.

“So...” he said, finally. “Excited for the tour?”

“Quite.”

“Me too. But I hate trains. You know what they say.” He smirked, “Trains are a pain.”

Silence again.

“Actually no one says that. I came up with that myself...My dad says I’m a poet.”

She gave an irritated sigh. “Do you mind? I’m trying to read.”

He scowled.

 _What a buzzkill,_ he thought, _Just my luck that the one time I get to be stuck in an empty train cabin alone with a girl, she has to be a broccoli-coloured bummer._

But there were another two hours until the first stop and due to the lack of windows and people, Fiyero knew that he had nothing to do aside from either sleeping or trying to get this girl to talk to him.

And Fiyero had always said that he loved a challenge.

Smoothening his hair, he sat down beside her, forcing himself in the small space between her and the door of the compartment. She glanced up at the large empty area in front of her and then shot him a look.

“Do you mind?”

The stuffy way she spoke reminded Fiyero of one of his old governesses.

“Not at all.” He said, nonchalantly.

“The whole compartment is empty.”

“I know.”

He stretched his arms and gave a loud, fake yawn. She rolled her eyes and went back to reading.

Fiyero had always told other guys that the two most effective ways of getting a girl to talk was either flirting with them or irritating them. “But when dealing with a difficult girl”, he advised,

“You should use both. If possible, at the same time.”

He shifted in his seat, trying to figure out a pick-up line to use, when he felt something uncomfortable behind him. He pulled it out, realizing with amusement that it was a bra.

“Is this yours?” He asked her, innocently.

Spotting it, she gasped and grabbed it from him, her cheeks flushing.

“That was fast,” he said, his eyes twinkling, as she opened her bag and hastily shoved it inside. “Usually girls wait a whole dinner before giving me their bra.”

She turned to look at him with horrified eyes. “ _Excuse_ me?”

Fiyero shrugged, “I’m just saying. Based on my experience with previous dates, usually I have to buy a girl dinner first.”

She rolled her eyes, turning back to her book. He thought he heard her mutter jackass under her breath, but he couldn’t be sure.

At least the ‘irritating her’ bit was coming along.

“You know,” he said, moving closer to her, “You remind me of something I saw in my garden this morning.”

She spun around to face him, her eyes flashing. “Grass? Because I’m green? Is that what you were going to say?”

 _Ouch._ Fiyero bit back his words, shocked by her assumption. This girl clearly had never been hit on before.

“Um no, I was going to say a flower. Because it’s beautiful. Like you.”

She looked even more horrified at that. She watched him wordlessly for a minute before a look of realization crossed her features and she groaned, turning back to her book.

“You could say ‘thank you, you’re beautiful too’,” Fiyero suggested.

She gave him a weary side-glance.

“Look, I don’t know what you’re trying, but if you could just leave me alone, that would be great.”

Fiyero nodded, but began whistling Katy Perry’s _Last Friday Night_ as soon as she turned back to her book. She clenched her jaw.

“Do you mind?”

“What? Not a Katy Perry fan?”

“I’m trying to read, and your whistling is distracting.”

“ _California Girls? I Kissed a Girl? Hot and Cold?_ Oh come on, you must like _Hot and Cold!_ ”

She glared at him and he raised his hands in submission. She returned to her book and he looked around the empty cabin, bored out of his mind. The silence was absolutely agonizing, not to mention, it had already been more than five minutes and she still wasn’t giggling at everything he said. Clearly something was very wrong with her.

 _I just need to try harder,_ he decided finally. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do.

“So, what book are you reading?”

“It’s called _Emperor Penguin_ ,” she replied, brusquely.

“Oh cool. I love penguins.”

“It’s not about penguins. It’s about a secret society called ‘Emperor Penguin’.”

“Aw.That’s too bad,” He paused and then added, “I’ve always felt like penguins are the most magnificent creatures.”

She peered at him from the top of her glasses, “How so?”

He could hear a hint of surprise in her suddenly softened voice.

“There are penguins called the Little Blue Penguins and they nest under people’s homes and make braying noises so people think that there’s a donkey nearby.” He said, snickering.

“You truly are a poet,” she said, dryly.

“I try.”

She exhaled sharply.

“Look... Fiyero, was it?... Can you please just leave me in peace? All I want to do is to read my book, alright?”

“But I don’t have anything to read... so unless you want to share your book with me, I’m going to have nothing to do.”

“That’s not my problem.”

“That’s extremely rude.”

“Again, not my problem.”

“I guess we’ll just have to share the book then.”

Fiyero leaned over her, blocking her view as he peered onto the pages.

“Who’s Roberto? And why is he ‘clutching his face in agony’?”

She was getting extremely irritated now.

“Look, can you just...”

The sound of the door opening stole Fiyero’s attention and he turned towards it, his face breaking out in a grin.

Standing in the doorway, peering in, was the cutest girl he had seen in a while. She was short, with blonde ringlets and the sweetest pink lips. He scrambled to his feet, running his fingers through his hair as she walked into their compartment.

Her cerulean eyes, however, were not on him.

“Elphie!” She shrieked in a pitch that Fiyero was sure had permanently damaged his ear-drums.

She ran up to the green girl, waving her arms in delight, “We thought you had missed the train! We were so worried!”

“Nope, I made it.” Elphaba said, smiling wanly.

“What are you doing here silly? Come and join us in the other cabin, we...”

She finally noticed Fiyero. Her voice faltered and a shy smile crept over her face, “Hi...”

Fiyero smirked, “I had no idea there were such gorgeous girls on this trip.”

She giggled and it was like music to his ears. Yup... he still had it.

“I’m Galinda,” she said, batting her eyelashes.

He sent her a wink, “Fiyero.”

Galinda giggled again, and Fiyero noticed the green girl roll her eyes.

“I hope I see you around... Fiyero,” Galinda said.

“You most certainly will.”

He walked over to the door she had just come through and slid it open, holding it open for her. As she passed, she sent him another flirtatious smile. Due to his respectable upbringing, Fiyero held the door open for Elphaba - who was following Galinda, visibly struggling with her suitcase - as well.

“Those penguins can also make mooing noises,” he whispered as she passed him.

In response, she shoved the edge of her suitcase into his knee. He held back a yelp of pain, shutting the door forcefully behind her.

 _Man,_ he thought, rubbing his injured knee, _What a piece of work._

 

“Fiyero!”

Avaric felt a wave of relief wash over him as the blonde boy stumbled into their compartment. “You made it!”

“Yeah... and no thanks to you.”

Fiyero sat down on the seat across from Avaric and Boq as Avaric sent him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry man, I don’t know how I forgot.”

Fiyero sighed exasperatedly and leaned back against his seat, entwining his fingers behind his head.

“Where were you for last fifteen minutes?” Boq asked.

“I came right when they announced that the train was leaving. So I jumped onto the first open car, which turned out to be an empty luggage compartment... and the door was locked, so I was

stuck there. But get this, just as the train was leaving this girl comes running yeah? And I pull her onto the train...”

“A girl?” Avaric raised an eyebrow, “Is she hot?”

“Man, listen...” Fiyero looked quickly around the cabin before hissing in a low voice, “She was green.”

“What do you mean?” Boq asked, blankly, “Like she was inexperienced?”

“You slept with her already?” Avaric gasped.

“No!” Fiyero crinkled his nose, “I mean she was actually green. Like her skin was green.”

“What?” Boq snickered, “Why? Was she going for a costume party?”

“Dressed as what? A stick of celery?” Fiyero demanded.

Avaric snorted.

“No man!” Fiyero insisted, “She was actually green.”

“So?” Boq asked, wide-eyed, “What happened?”

“What do you think happened?” Fiyero tugged at his collar, “It was just me and her locked in an empty cabin. She was all over me.”

“Seriously?” Boq grinned gleefully, “The green girl couldn’t keep her hands off you?”

“It was so weird, man. I was sitting in this corner, minding my own business, and she just totally pushes herself up against me! The whole cabin was empty and it was just her and me in this tiny space! So of course, I push her away.”

“And then?”

“And then she kept asking me all these weird questions, like do I like penguins? And was I single?... and she kept using these lines on me...”

Avaric laughed when he saw how wide Boq’s eyes were getting.

“Alright Fiyero, we’re done with your bullshit.” He said, shaking his head.

Fiyero snickered, “It totally could have happened, though.”

“Yeah right.”

“But guess what did happen.”

“Wait,” Boq looked confused, “So there isn’t really a green girl?”

“Oh no, she was real,” Fiyero shrugged, “Super boring though. Just spent the whole time reading and making snide comments. But her friend... Galinda... dude. She is _hot_.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just find her hot because you had been stuck with the green girl for so long?” Avaric snickered.

“The green girl wasn’t bad looking,” Fiyero clarified, “Just annoying.”

“Man, I can’t believe you were lying about her coming on to you,” Boq said, clearly put-off “That was low.”

Fiyero spotted a card clutched tightly in the Munchkin boy’s hand.

“What’s this?” He asked, grabbing it from him. His eyes scanned the page, “A party?”

“Yeah,” Avaric grinned, “Tomorrow night at the hotel ballroom, after the sightseeing.”

“It is going to be so great!” Boq agreed, “Dancing, drinking and hot girls!”

“Sounds awesome,” Fiyero said, grinning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Galinda had spent the rest of the train journey and the whole of the next day chattering excitedly about the eighteen seconds she had spent with the ‘super amazifying and attractive’ Fiyero. Elphaba, on the other had, was the opposite. Even though Galinda and the other girls nagged and pleaded, she refused to say a word about her time alone with that boy.

Truthfully, it was because she was extremely embarrassed.

She would never admit this - least of all to Galinda - but she when first saw him, she also thought he was incredibly attractive. And when he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the train, there was a moment where he had held her and looked at her with eyes so blue they made her dizzy.

And she was completed and utterly humiliated. Because not only had he seen her run towards the train looking like a crazy person with her skirt flying all over the place, but she fallen all over him and dropped her suitcase and just come across as a total buffoon. And worst of all, while repacking her bag, she had missed a bra which _he_ had then found on the train floor.

It was all too much to take in, particularly since it all happened in a span of five minutes. Which is why Elphaba had decided the only way to remedy the situation would be to keep her mouth shut and read quietly on the side, so as not to add fuel to the flames of an already incredibly embarrassing situation.

If only Fiyero had the same plan.

Unfortunately he didn’t, and he had opened his mouth to reveal a series of stupid and irritating comments which ruined the illusion of charm his appearance had somehow given him. And after just fifteen minutes or so of interaction, Elphaba could say with certainty that she had never met anyone so annoying in her life.

Which is why she was absolutely dreading seeing him again.

Sadly, she knew that she would see him again. Galinda would make sure of it.

But, she had to admit, things had gone smoothly since the train. Elphaba and Galinda had gotten a joint room with Angie and Milla, which was actually really fun, and all four of them had gone sightseeing together, which had been really exciting. _Southland Tours_ had divided everyone into two sightseeing groups which had gone to opposite sides of town and then switched after lunch. Elphaba enjoyed it immensely - her group leader was extremely knowledgeable, the people in her group seemed friendly and best of all, Fiyero and his cronies were in the other group.

Elphaba was eagerly looking forward to the next morning’s trip to the town bazaar.... what she wasn’t looking forward to however, was the ‘Welcome to Southland Tours’ Party that was being held that night in the hotel ballroom.

As soon as they had gotten back from sightseeing, Galinda had pulled out a short, Indigo coloured dress and insisted Elphaba wear it.

“You would look absolutely darling in it,” she promised.

“That’s great. I’ll keep that in mind if I ever want to dress up to look like a brass doll with verdigris,” Elphaba had replied.

“I have no idea what that is, Elphie, but I won’t hear it. You have to wear it.”

“No!” she insisted, “I refuse to put on something that was invented to make girls feel conscious about their size and go for some cultish social gathering.”

But her vociferous protestations made no difference. Galinda, Angie and Milla were not used to not getting their own way, and Elphaba had practically been forced into wearing it. They had then proceeded to spend the next two hours styling her hair and applying makeup on her.

“I look like a raccoon,” Elphaba said, when Angie finished applying the mascara.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Galinda demanded, “My mother knew a raccoon once. She lived down the hall from us. She was very nice.”

Elphaba grimaced at her reflection and Angie giggled.

“She does look a bit like a raccoon,” Angie admitted.

“Yes, but a _cute_ raccoon.”

“Just what every girl dreams of looking like,” Elphaba muttered.

Galinda, of course, ignored her and stared at Elphaba’s reflection, pleased with her handiwork.

“The party tonight is going to suck,” Milla said abruptly. She was lounging on the bed, silently watching the fan spin in dizzying circles. “I can sense it.”

“Oh Milla,” Galinda said, crinkling her nose, “You are always so negative.”

“But she’s right,” Elphaba jumped in. “It sounds like it’s going to be... bad. I think we should skip it.”

“You just want to avoid Fiyero, don’t you?” Galinda put her hands on her hips, “Now what did he do to you which was so awful, Elphie? You have to tell us sometime.”

Angie nodded eagerly and Milla sat up on the bed, suddenly interested.

“It’s nothing,” Elphaba said, hastily, “Really. He was just being extremely irritating. He refused to let me read... he kept yapping on about penguins and flowers and making lame jokes...”

“That doesn’t explain why you want to avoid him,”

“I...”

Elphaba didn’t want Galinda to know how she had embarrassed herself in front of him. Galinda wouldn’t understand how falling on top a boy and then having him find your bra would be humiliating.... and she certainly wouldn’t understand why his ‘flirting’ annoyed her so much. If Elphaba tried to explain, Galinda would just assume she wanted to avoid Fiyero because she had a crush on him. And that was the last thing in the world Elphaba wanted anyone to think.

“It has nothing to do with Fiyero...” she said, quickly, “I just don’t like parties. You know that.”

“Well too bad,” Galinda huffed, “You’re going if I have to drag you by your ankles.”

Which is how Elphaba found herself on a large, round table in the middle of the ballroom with Angie, Milla and Galinda, as a stout lady with too many moles sang a soulful opera.

“I told you this party would suck,” Milla whispered.

“You didn’t say it was because there would be an old woman crying on stage,” Galinda hissed back.

“I told you I had a feeling!”

Elphaba tried to ignore their whispers and concentrate, but even she had to admit the performance was extremely boring. The tour had certainly not gone all out with the entertainment; the woman they hired to sing the opera was absolutely terrible. Elphaba slumped into her seat and absentmindedly watched Angie play with her cutlery when Galinda squealed.

“Look, it’s him!”

_Oh no._

Elphaba reluctantly glanced up to see three boys in suits standing by the entrance, and her stomach squirmed as she noticed the one with the dark blonde hair looking around the ballroom for a place to sit.

_Please don’t let him see that we have empty chairs. Please, please..._

“Fiyero!” Galinda shrieked.

_Damn it._

The people on the other tables turned to look at them, but Galinda ignored this.

“Fiyero!” she called again, “Over here!”

The boy spotted her and said something to his friends, and then all of them started walking towards their table.

“Why did you have to call him over?” Elphaba hissed angrily to Galinda.

“You said you didn’t have a problem with him.” Galinda replied, innocently.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend more time with him!”

She fell to silence as the three boys reached their table.

“Galinda!” Fiyero greeted, flashing them a smile, “What a gorgeous group of girls.”

He looked at Elphaba. “Oh... and Elphaba. I didn’t see you there.”

She glared at him and he sent her a smirk.

“I see you’re just as cheerful as you were on the train.”

“I was... until you showed up,” she retorted.

“Glad I make such an impression on you.”

He sat down on the empty seat beside Galinda.

Elphaba turned angrily away from him, and instead caught his two friends giving her curiously amused looks.

“What?” She snapped, “Is there something in my teeth?”

The Munchkin boy began stuttering and Elphaba rolled her eyes.

The boy with the dark hair and the stubble introduced himself as Avaric, and sat down next to Angie, while the Munchkin, Boq (after sending Galinda a series of longing looks) sat down beside Milla. The three girls quickly got into rapt conversations with the three boys, leaving Elphaba with no one to converse with. She tried to listen to the Opera singer’s wailing, telling herself that she would enjoy it if she gave it a chance, but she realized very quickly that wasn’t true.

She slumped back in her chair, and started day-dreaming about the latest book she was reading, when Galinda - who was sitting beside her - giggled loudly, distracting her.

She turned to look at Galinda, frowning as she did so. Galinda and Fiyero had turned their chairs so that they were facing each other, their knees touching. He was leaning into her, whispering things that were making her blush. Elphaba rolled her eyes, but unconsciously shifted towards Galinda, in an attempt to hear them.

“You know,” Fiyero was saying, tucking a strand of Galinda’s hair behind her ear, “While on the tour I saw something in a garden and it reminded me of you.”

“Really?” Galinda asked, enraptured, “What was it?”

“A beautiful flower,”

Galinda broke out into a fresh set of giggles.

“Oh Fiyero, you’re so cute.”

He smirked, “I know.”

Elphaba tried to suppress her gag-reflex. Was Galinda actually buying that crap?

“So, what do you do for fun?” Galinda asked, coquettishly.

“Girls like you.”

Galinda whacked him playfully on the arm, “Stop it. Seriously.”

Fiyero shrugged, “Going for parties and stuff. You know... the usual.”

“Where are you from?”

“The Vinkus.”

“Do they have good parties there?”

“Yeah. Great ones.”

“I’ve heard they have a scandalacious prince who throws the most outrageous parties.” Galinda said, excitedly.

Fiyero shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I don’t know about that,” he admitted.

“Have you met him?”

“Uh... no.”

Galinda paused thoughtfully for a minute and then sighed, “I wish he had organized this party. I mean... I thought this was going to be fun... with dancing and stuff. But it’s so boring.”

“Yeah,” Fiyero agreed, looking strangely relieved, “I can’t tell whether that lady is singing or trying to tell us that a house is burning down. And that guy on the piano too. He’s awful. I can play piano better than he can.”

“You can play piano?” Galinda’s eyes widened, “Really?”

“Uh...”

“I think it’s so sexy when guys can play the piano.”

He grinned, devilishly. “Of course I can play the piano.”

Elphaba rubbed her temples, wondering how Galinda could lose so much intelligence just by talking to an attractive boy. Did she not get that he was just telling her whatever she wanted to hear to get her into bed with him?

Fortunately, as if by some divine intervention, the woman singing finally announced the end of her performance.

_Oh thank god._

Elphaba clapped feebly as the singer and the man playing the piano bowed and walked out of the room. As everyone else in the room turned back - immensely relieved - to their conversations, an idea suddenly floated into her mind.

“So, Fiyero...” she said, slowly, turning to him, “I happened to overhear a bit of your conversation...”

“Listening to other people’s conversations is rude, Elphaba,” he said, waving her off.

She felt a flush of anger but quickly pushed it aside, “You can play piano?”

“Yup, been playing for 12 years.”

“Wow!” Galinda squealed.

“Then why don’t you show us?” Elphaba asked and smirked when she saw Fiyero freeze.

“What?” he stammered.

“There’s no one playing the piano now, why don’t you just go and show us how good you are?”

“Oh...” Fiyero laughed awkwardly, “I mean... I’m sure I can’t just walk up there and start playing...”

“Oh come on, Fifi!” Galinda pouted.

Elphaba almost scoffed. Only Galinda could give a boy she hardly knew a nickname.

“Yeah _Fifi_. I’m sure no one will mind,” Elphaba said, “Everyone’s busy talking to each other.”

“So let’s not disturb them,” Fiyero suggested.

But as she had anticipated, the group suddenly latched on... and didn’t let up. Angie and Milla joined Galinda’s pleas, and as Elphaba had learned the hard way, the three girls wouldn’t give up till they got what they wanted. Soon Fiyero was walking towards the back of the room, over to the platform with the piano on it. A few people turned to watch him and he sent them a sheepish smile. He then sat down on the piano stool and awkwardly flexed his fingers.

Elphaba could hear Galinda’s breath hitch in anticipation.

_This is going to be so good._

Fiyero’s fingers fell onto the keys, producing a cacophony worse than the old woman’s opera singing. Galinda gasped and Milla began to giggle as Fiyero hammered away at the keys. It seemed more like he was building a tree-house as opposed to playing an instrument.

Elphaba grinned gleefully.

“See Lin?” she said, turning to the blond girl with a smug expression on her face, “He’s got no substance. He’s just a brainless boy who was telling you whatever you wanted to hear.”

But Elphaba’s smile suddenly melted off her face as Fiyero’s ear-jarring melody transformed into something else. Her heart began thudding.

He was playing a flawless rendition of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.15.

_There is no way._

She looked up, unable to believe what she was hearing and saw the boy’s face screwed up in concentration as his fingers gracefully danced across the keys. Her arm was inadvertently covered in goosebumps.

_Oh my Oz._

Fiyero looked up from the piano, caught her eye and sent her a wink. Her throat went dry.

_This can not seriously be happening._

“12 years of piano lessons.” She heard Avaric say in the background, his voice muffled. “His dad wouldn’t let him quit because he said he had a talent and shouldn’t waste it.”

“He’s incredible!” Galinda shrieked.

Fiyero finished, stood up and took a silly bow as the crowd broke out into cheers. He then walked back to their table, grinning.

“Dude you scared me!” Boq exclaimed, “For a second there, I was actually embarrassed for you.”

“It’s an important life lesson.” Fiyero said playfully, flopping down on his chair, “You shouldn’t judge something by what it initially appears to be.”

He was still talking to Boq of course, but his azure eyes were looking straight at Elphaba.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Elphaba could say, without a doubt, that this trip was the most exciting thing she had done in her entire life. Exploring Oz had opened her mind to things she never even imagined existed. She spent the day seeing incredible sights, meeting fascinating people and eating food the likes of which she had read about only in books. At nights, the tour would usually arrange some sort of entertainment, which - since the Opera singer - had actually been entertaining. She even - secretly of course - liked going on shopping trips with Angie and Milla, whose company she surprisingly enjoyed. The trip would have been absolutely perfect if it wasn’t for one thing - that annoying, brainless, idiot... Fiyero. That boy seemed to be on a mission to constantly irritate and humiliate her. The night he had played the piano had been absolutely mortifying. Not only had he made her feel utterly foolish by acting like he couldn’t play and then proving her wrong in front of everybody, but he spent the rest of the night being even more infuriating. Namely, he danced with every girl on their table except for her. Elphaba didn’t care of course... who wanted to dance with Sir.Winks-a-lot anyway? But what annoyed her was the way he did it. He would stand right in front of her, look straight into her eyes and then ask the girl behind her to dance. He had done it three times and each time she had stupidly believed he was going to ask her... before he didn’t.  
That was the night she made the decision to avoid him.

  
Considering how many people were on the tour, that should have been easy. But unfortunately for her, he was everywhere. She’d be in the restaurant of whatever hotel they were in, getting dinner, and he’d turn up right next to her pointing out that the noodles looked like brains. She’d be reading by the poolside, and he’d come along and ask her if she wanted to rub sunscreen on his back. One day she had even caught Fiyero and Galinda making out on an armchair in her room. She had gotten furious and thrown her bag on the ground, screaming that he never let her have any privacy. As usual he had just shrugged it off and she had left the room fuming, not wanting to see them eating each other's faces again. That had been the worst because it was a symbol that even her own room wasn’t a haven from that idiot’s perpetually smirking face.

  
The only saving grace had been that Fiyero was still in the other sightseeing group, which meant that for majority of the day she had peace from his incessant jests. But even that was brutally taken away from her when their group leader, Todd, announced that for their visit to the Elroid Museum, they would be joining groups.

 

The Elroid Museum was the largest museum in Oz and was located on the outskirts of the Gilikin, ‘Five hours by bus away from Galinda’s home’. Apart from antiques belonging to the old Gilikinese Kings and clothes and jewelry of the grand duchess Nymeria, the Elroid also housed priceless artwork by some of the most renowned artists in history. According to a guide book Elphaba had read, if one were to spend five minutes looking at each painting in the art section, it would take them four days to get through the whole museum. Given that they only had two hours to spend, Elphaba couldn’t wait to get started. She wanted to absorb as much as she possibly could.

Todd stopped outside the museum, holding their tickets.

“Since we are only spending two hours here,” he announced, “We want you to be able to see whatever you want to see. Which is why Marie and I have decided that we are going to let all of you explore the museum by yourselves. We will meet back here at 12 ‘o’ clock. Alright?”

A happy murmur spread through the crowd. Todd held up a hand, silencing them as he continued.

“In order to make sure you don’t get lost, however, we want you get into pairs.”

“How idiotic,” Elphaba hissed to Galinda. “What is this, a primary school trip to the circus?”

Galinda stifled a giggle, and Todd flashed them a look before continuing.

“This may seem like a unnecessary measure, but we have our reasons. Over the years there have been instances of couples running off from the group as soon as we let them... go free. Last year, two of our travelers decided to go off to town while everyone else was at the museum. They lost track of time and didn’t return by the deadline. We had to wait in the bus right here for eight hours until they finally returned,” Todd grimaced at the memory. “Which is why we are going to assign partners. One person from Group A will be paired with a person from Group B.”

Elphaba groaned. With her luck, she knew, she’d be stuck with someone absolutely awful.

“Do you believe this?” she hissed to Galinda.

“I know! I wanted to be partners with you!” Galinda pouted. “What if I get stuck with that stupid Bonnie from Group B? I hate her. She always wears plaid.” She crinkled her nose. “Plaid is even worse than those ugly black frocks you always wear,” she informed Elphaba.

“Gee thanks, Lin.” Elphaba said, rolling her eyes.

They went and joined the line that had formed in front of Todd, to collect their tickets and find out who their assigned partner for the tour was.

“I’m with Avaric,” Milla squealed, as she passed by them, waving her ticket.

“Wasn’t Angie the one who liked Avaric?” Elphaba whispered to Galinda.

“No, Angie and Avaric hooked up but Milla likes Avaric.”

“Oh.”

Elphaba wondered how either of them wanted anything at all to do with Avaric, considering he seemed unable to say anything that wasn’t a sleazy pick-up line to a person with breasts.

Finally Elphaba and Galinda reached the front of the line and waited expectantly as Todd checked his clipboard.

“You are paired with Gail,” Todd told Galinda, and pointed at a slight girl wearing a neon orange skirt. Galinda gave her a disgusted look.

“At least she’s not wearing plaid,” Elphaba offered helpfully.

“And you,” Todd said, pointing at Elphaba, “Are with..”

Please be someone good.

“... Fiyero.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Elphaba spluttered as Galinda burst out in peals of laughter. By this point everyone knew of her intense dislike for the Vinkun boy.

Except for Todd, apparently.

“Is there a problem?” he asked, perplexed, looking from one girl to the other, “You were paired with Avaric Tenmeadows first... but Milla said you wanted to switch with her.”

“Milla said what now?”

“She said that you and Fiyero had both majored in Art History and wanted to discuss the art work together.”

Galinda began laughing harder and Elphaba glared venomously at Todd, who turned back to his clipboard.

“So I got him as your partner. You’re welcome. Just don’t run off with him, alright?”

Elphaba tried to come up with a snide response, but couldn’t, so instead stormed away, followed by a still giggling Galinda.

“What an idiot,” Elphaba spat, as soon as Todd was out of ear-shot, “No wonder it was so easy for those two kids to just run away from the tour group. How did he buy Milla’s stupid story?

Obviously she just wanted to partner with Avaric. Now if the two of them run away from the group and we have to wait eight hours....”

Elphaba stopped when she saw Milla linking arms with Avaric and strolling into the museum.

“I can’t believe her!” Elphaba shrieked, “She knows how much I hate Fiyero.”

“Oh Elphie, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

Galinda seemed extremely amused with the whole situation until Little Miss Neon Orange came up to her and asked if she wanted to go inside. Galinda and her started talking, and Elphaba stood awkwardly on the side until a voice behind her broke her out of her thoughts.

“I guess it’s you and me again.”

She turned around and glared at Fiyero’s grinning face.

“I guess it is. But I want you to know, I’m not happy about it.”

“I didn’t expect you to be.”

Galinda and neon girl finally stopped talking and turned towards the two of them.

“We’re going to the fourth floor to see the Grand Duchess’s clothes. Do you guys want to join us?” Galinda asked.

Fiyero shrugged, “I don’t really have a preference.” He glanced at Elphaba. “Well?”

Galinda was giving her an opening, she knew, so she wouldn’t have to be alone with Fiyero. But Elphaba also knew that she would never forgive herself if she didn’t go to see the artwork.

Especially since this would probably be her only chance to visit the Elroid.

“No,” she sighed, “I want to see the art work.”

“Alright, bye then!” Galinda said, sending them a small smile before heading to the museum with her partner.

“I knew you wanted to be alone with me,” Fiyero said, nudging her in the side with his elbow.

As expected, Fiyero was a less-than-perfect partner. Mainly because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He got bored within the first ten minutes and spent the rest of the time trying to come up with a pun for every piece of artwork they saw. Elphaba had to rush through the impressionist section because she couldn’t stand another “This painting probably made him a lot of Monet.” or “When are we going to Gogh? This guy’s paintings are super boring.”

It was when they were halfway through the surrealist section and he was nagging her not to dilly- _Dali_ when she lost it.

“Can you stop!” she said, turning to him furiously, “I know you probably would have preferred seeing the antiques or the duchess’s old clothes, but because you are partners with me you have to see the art, and you don’t want to... I get it, which is why I have been patient so far. But I literally can not take another second of you talking!”

“You mean figuratively,” he corrected her.

“What?”

“You figuratively can not take another second of me talking.”

She ground her teeth, letting out something akin to a roar, and he smirked.

“I don’t know why I annoy you so much, but I have to admit it really is quite amusing.”

Elphaba had actually wondered the same thing herself on many occasions. Why did he evoke such a strong reaction from her? She’d dealt with bullies and assholes throughout her schooling, but no one had gotten under her skin quite like Fiyero did. And he never actually had said anything offensive to her.

She pushed the thought from her mind. She just wanted to enjoy the museum... she could contemplate the causes for her emotional reactions later.

“Look Fiyero,” she said, trying to sound calm, “this might be my only chance to be come here, so I just want to see the artwork in peace, alright?”

“Why is this your only chance to see it? Is the museum shutting down?”

“No. I just...” she shook her head, “I don’t want to talk about it, ok? Just keep your trap shut and let me look at the art.”

They stopped in front of a painting of seven old bearded men around a table, and Elphaba tried to admire the paint strokes but was distracted by Fiyero’s intense gaze on her cheek.

“What?” she snapped, turning to face him.

“You know what your problem is?”

“Apart from you?”

“You don’t know how to have fun.”

She bristled. “I don’t there is much fun we can have in a museum apart from looking at the art,” she said icily.

“Well see, that’s your problem. You don’t think out of the box.”

Fiyero looked casually around the spacious room.

It was a weekday afternoon, so there were no locals around, and most of the people from their tour group were at the antiques section. The few people who had come with them to see the art, had hung back in the impressionist section, leaving them almost completely alone in the large room. With the exception, of course, of the bored security guard who was sitting on a stool by the emergency stairs.

Fiyero turned to her, and she could see an impish smile ghosting his lips.

“Go ask that man how much this painting costs.”

She rolled her eyes, “This painting isn’t for sale, Fiyero. This is the museum’s permanent collection.”

“I know.”

She gave an exasperated sigh, “Then I obviously can’t buy it.”

“Yes, but see we’re going to have fun by pretending to be idiots and not understand that.”

She gave a mock gasp, “So you being an idiot was pretense all along?”

He stuck his tongue out at her.

“Stop being obnoxious and go ask that man how much this painting with the...” he turned to look at the painting, blinking a few times, “... wrinkly old dudes having a meeting, costs.”

“They are not having a meeting they are having a feast for King... you know what,” she clenched her jaw, “I don’t have to play along with this. I’m not doing it.”

He shrugged, “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Fine!... Wait, what? Fiyero... no! Stop!”

She tried to grab his arm to hold him back, but he was already sauntering over to the guard. Elphaba trailed behind him, acting like she was looking at the paintings, but instead anxiously listening for what Fiyero was going to say. Why was he so intent on causing trouble? Why couldn’t he just look at the paintings like everyone else?

“Excuse me, sir,” she heard him say, “how much does that painting over there cost?”

“Uhm... sorry sir. This is the museum’s permanent collection... but even otherwise, we don’t sell paintings.”

Elphaba risked a side-glance at Fiyero, and saw him pouting at the guard.

“Oh please, sir. My wife and I...” he gestured listlessly at Elphaba and she quickly pretended to be engrossed in a watercolour. “... we’re buying a house together, and that painting will look absolutely perfect in our bedroom. Won’t it, honey?” he called after her.

She pretended not to hear him. Why was he dragging her into this?

“That’s your wife?” She could hear bewilderment in the guard’s voice. She gritted her teeth.

“Yes, she’s an artist. She works primarily with green permanent dye. It’s very hard to get off,” Fiyero said, “she takes about three baths a day.”

“Maybe she should stop using that dye then.”

She turned around and found the guard eyeing her uncertainly.

“That’s what I keep telling her!” Fiyero said. He threw her a look and shook his head, reprovingly

“But it’s alright,” he said, turning back to the guard, “Green is my favourite colour. I’ll live. Anyway... the painting?”

“I’m sorry, as I said, the painting isn’t for sale.”

Fiyero put on an expression that made him look like a petulant child, “Now look here. I’m willing to pay whatever you need for it.”

The guard frowned, “That doesn’t matter, sir. It’s not for sale.”

“You are being extremely rude.”

“I’m sorry sir, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” The annoyance was thick in the guard’s voice now, and Elphaba wanted to interrupt and drag Fiyero away, but she refrained. After all, he had gotten himself into this, and he could deal with his own consequences.

“Well then...I’ll just have to steal it.” Fiyero said, crossing his arms across his chest defiantly.

_What?_

The guard gaped at him.

“Is that a threat?”

“Maybe.”

What is he doing? Elphaba tried to give him a warning glare, but his back was to her.

“Well sir,” the guard said, icily, “I’ll have you know that even threatening to steal a painting from this museum is a matter that is not taken lightly.”

“And I’ll have you know that if you wash your hair occasionally, it won’t look that greasy and disgusting.”

She couldn’t help herself.

“Fiyero!” she shouted.

He turned to look at her and she glared at him. In response, however, he just grinned. She threw her arms up in despair. The guard in the mean time, had walked over to the emergency exit and shouted something down it, and a few minutes later a large group of security guards appeared. One of them grabbed hold of Fiyero, and started pushing him towards the exit. Elphaba watched him struggle and make loud declarations of how he would ‘get his lawyer cousin to sue this museum’.

She rolled her eyes. What an idiot. What did he expect would happen?

“Ma’am.”

She turned away from the commotion and found herself facing another security guard.

“If you will just exit this way.”

She stared at him, “Excuse me?”

“We don’t want to use force.”

She felt panic begin to rise up in her chest. “He’s not my husband,” she said, quickly, “It was all just a big joke. We’re on the tour...”

“Ma’am please don’t make a fuss.”

“I’m not! It’s just that I don’t...”

But it made no difference. Five minutes later, she found herself flung out of the museum, along with Fiyero, with a warning that if they tried to come back, they would be reported to the police.

The door was then slammed in their faces.

_No._

The despair that was filling up in Elphaba slowly turned to rage, as she heard Fiyero laughing behind her. She turned to face him, her eyes flashing.

“How great was that?!” he said. His amusement made her blood boil. “Come on. You have to give it to me. The whole ‘you being an artist who uses green dye’ thing was pretty clever.”

_This is IT._

She stomped her foot loudly against the pavement and he stopped laughing.

“What?” He asked, blankly.

She walked closer to him, her eyes burning into his.

“You just got us chucked out of them museum,” she said, her voice dangerously low. “I have been waiting for years to see this... and in five minutes, you ruined everything.”

The smile faded off his face. “But... I just thought...”

“No, you didn’t. That’s the problem. You don’t think. You are completely and utterly brainless, and you’re probably never going to amount to anything in life because you don’t stop for a minute to consider things. So do yourself a favour, Fiyero, and just leave me alone.”

“But it’s another hour before we have to meet the group...”

“Yes... so I’m going to sit in the bus and read my book, and if I see you there, I swear on my life, even the great Wizard of Oz won’t be able to help you.”

With that she swept away, not once glancing back to see the pathetic expression in the blonde boy’s eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The ‘Welcome to Southland Tours’ party was where Fiyero realized how adorable Elphaba was when she got irritated. Her eyes would narrow, her nostrils would flare and she would either start spluttering or come up with a series of witty retorts.

Fiyero thought it was extremely cute... which is why he decided to keep annoying her.

He’d follow her around and purposely do something he knew would rile her up. He’d disturb her when she was reading, make stupid comments, use awful pick up lines on her - basically anything he could do to aggravate her. He had just been having fun, of course, but it didn’t take him long to realize she didn’t view it in the same way. She started avoiding him, insulting him and worst of all, she started getting annoyed with him even when he wasn’t trying to annoy her. Once, he had been hooking up with Galinda in her room when Elphaba had walked in and looked at him with such detestation that he had been rendered speechless.

She’d yelled at him too... with complete and utter repugnance in her voice.

He had pretended to shrug it off, like it was no big deal, but the truth was that it really bothered him.

He had never wanted her to _hate_ him.

Which is why when he found out that Avaric had Elphaba as his partner for the museum trip, he had asked him to switch.

“I can’t let her hate me,” Fiyero said, “Let me partner with her.”

“Why?” Avaric had asked confused, “Who gives a shit if the artichoke doesn’t like you?”

“It’s not about her in particular,” Fiyero lied, “I’m just not used to having girls hate me.”

Avaric didn’t take much convincing once he found out that Fiyero’s partner was Milla, but he still had his doubts.

“They won’t let us switch partners,” he had said, uneasily.

But Fiyero wasn’t about to let it go.

“Just tell Milla that when she goes to get her ticket, she should ask if she can switch partners with Elphaba. Tell her to say it’s because... uh... Elphaba and I both majored in Art History. That we want to intellectually discuss the art or something,” he had suggested.

“No one’s going to believe you could do anything intellectually,” Avaric had quipped. But he had done it, and Fiyero found himself partnering with Elphaba.

Which is when he screwed things up... again.

He had planned on being respectful and quiet while she looked at the art, but his short attention span had instead made him act like a complete clotpole. He started making these god-awful art puns... and even when he realized that they were irritating her more than they were amusing her, he couldn’t stop. He didn’t know what it was, but Elphaba Thropp made him... skittish. He felt strange around her. And for some reason, that made him act like a complete idiot.

When she exploded at him, he decided he needed to make amends... and fast. Which is when Fiyero came up with the ‘go-ask-that-man-a-dumb-question’ plan.

It made sense to him; Fiyero’s relationship with his best friend was built on the foundation of the ‘shenanigans’ they got themselves into. They’d do something ridiculous, but they’d do it together and by the end of it, they’d have a story to tell everyone. It was these idiotic plans (and the memories they had as a result of them) that brought the two boys together. Fiyero had thought that if he and Elphaba could do something risky together, it might... well, help them bond.

But Elphaba was right, Fiyero was completely brainless. He went too far and it backfired in his face.

He had avoided Elphaba since then. A part of him was keeping a respectful distance because he knew she was livid with him, but a part of him - granted, a part of him that he didn’t like to acknowledge - was hurt.

_You are completely and utterly brainless, and you’re probably never going to amount to anything in life_

Her words had been resounding in his mind since the day of the museum incident, but - as usual - he did his best to block them. He didn’t want to think about what she had said... or what it had, in turn, made him realize. Life was easier when one was brainless and didn’t think about things, he reminded himself.

“Could you hurry up?”

Hearing her voice, Fiyero felt a flush of anger. But, once again, he pretended like it had no effect on him. He waved a listless arm at her.

“Wait your turn, grasshopper,” he drawled, before turning to the cashier girl. He gave her a wink and she giggled and blushed.

He wasn’t actually interested in flirting with the cashier girl... but he did want to annoy Elphaba. And not because he wanted to see that cute expression on her face.

“You know,” he said to the girl, “you remind me of something I saw in my garden this morning.”

“Really? What?”

“A beautiful flower.”

The girl began giggling and blushing profusely, and Fiyero almost groaned out loud. He always used that line because it was the dumbest line in the book. Based on a girl’s reaction to it, however, he could usually tell how easy she would be to impress.

He could hear Elphaba sigh impatiently behind him.

“The train is going to leave soon. Are you even buying any thing?”

He waved the bottle of rum in the air, still not turning to look at her.

“Hurry up, then!”

He finally turned around to face her, his expression bemused.

“Alright fine. If you’re so damn impatient, you can go first.”

“What...”

She looked alarmed as he gestured towards the front of the line. But she silently walked over and paid for the ruby slippers she wanted to buy. Fiyero wondered idly why she wanted ruby slippers - she didn’t seem the type to wear them - but of course, he didn’t ask. He just waited passively on the side as she finished, and then went back to the front desk with his alcohol. She walked over to the door with her purchase, paused thoughtfully and then stalked back to him.

“You know,” she said, interrupting his conversation with the cashier for the second time, “you still haven’t apologized to me.”

“Apologized for what?” he asked, in a clipped tone.

“You know for what,” she snarled.

He obviously knew what he had to apologize for. More than that, he knew it was something he _should_ apologize. But her words that kept coming back to haunt him - _you’re probably never going to amount to anything in life_ \- didn’t let the apology come out.

“What about your apology?” he demanded.

For a second she was taken aback, but then she scoffed, “My apology?”

“Umm... do you guys think...” The cashier girl tried to intervene, but the two of them ignored her.

“Yes, your apology. From the day we met you have been making snap judgements about me. But here’s the thing, you don’t know me. So stop acting like you have me all figured out.”

“I never...”

Fiyero gave a dry laugh, “And you’re also too stubborn to admit your mistakes.”

She gritted her teeth, “My mistakes? You’ve been nothing but arrogant...”

“Oh really? When we were stuck in the train together, who was ignoring who? I tried so hard to talk to you and you just treated me like... like I was dirt on the back of your shoe. And then you tried to make me look like a fool in front of everyone during the party. And you say you don’t make snap judgements? You had barely spoken to me for fifteen minutes and you thought I was lying about being able to play the piano!”

“I...”

Her face was slowly getting a darker shade of green. He tried to shut off the small voice in the back of his head that thought it made her look absolutely bewitching.

“I’m going to catch our train,” she snapped.

She turned around abruptly and stormed out the door. Still fuming, Fiyero paid the cashier and threw a group of wide-eyed spectators a dirty look, before following suit.

_I can’t believe her. To come up to me and demand an apology. Who does she think she..._

He froze. The still air suddenly filled him with a painful sense of awareness.

The platform was completely empty.

The train.

Fiyero looked around, manically, almost as if checking to see if the train was, perhaps, hiding from him. But unfortunately, it wasn’t. It was gone... along with his friends, his luggage and his Ozpass.

This was not good. This was not good at all.

He heard a gasp behind him and turned around to find himself, once again, face-to-face with the last person who probably wanted to see him. 

“You missed it too?” he asked her, stupidly.

Elphaba bit her lip. “I... I don’t know how that... What are we going to do?”

She was trying extremely hard to hide the panic in her voice, but it was obvious it was there.

“Alright, let’s just calm down...”

“Calm down?” Her worried expression suddenly turned angry. “I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere with you. I’m pretty sure this is the perfect moment to freak out.”

“Why are you angry with me?” he demanded, “This isn’t my fault. You’re the one who decided to confront me in the middle of the shop. I let you cut in front of me... if you had left right after buying your stupid shoes, you would have caught the train.”

That shut her up. She stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

“I guess we could check the information booth...” Fiyero suggested, “See when the next train comes.”

She nodded reluctantly, “Alright. You wait here. Let me go check.”

Fiyero stood fidgeting on the side as she went to talk to the man at the booth. He watched her carefully, his heart sinking when she started walking back to him, looking crestfallen.

“Apparently there’s a tornado coming,” she said, reaching him. “They’ve cancelled all trains for the next two days.”

“But... we have to get there by tomorrow night, otherwise we’ll miss the next train.”

She glared at him, “I know that.”

“I guess we could... rent a carriage and travel together.”

The idea surprised Elphaba. It was actually much better than her idea of trying to find a bus. She didn’t exactly want to go traipsing all over Oz by herself, and the suburban buses were not known for their functionality. There was a very high chance of one of them breaking down... in which case she’d have no chance of catching up to the tour train. But then again, a carriage ride trip with Fiyero? While it was a good idea, after everything he’d done to her, she wasn’t about to sound eager to spend two days in close proximity to him.

“Oh no... no. I am not traveling with you.” She said, faking a forcefulness she didn’t feel.

She watched him for a moment, waiting for him to respond. Something flickered in his eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

“Ok, fine. Do your own thing then.”

_Wait... what?_

He turned around and started walking away. She gaped at his back. Was he serious? He was just going to leave her to get to Traum by herself? She didn’t know how to drive a carriage! But he continued walking, heading back towards the shop they had just fought in. _He just wants to continue flirting with that stupid cashier girl,_ she thought heatedly.

Well, who needed him anyway?

She straightened her shoulders. Her whole life she’d done everything herself. So what if she couldn’t drive? She could easily figure out some other way to make the two day journey.

She started walking down the road which led to the nearest town, looking left and right, hoping to see somewhere she could catch a bus, when a policeman in a dark gray uniform stopped her.

“Good evening,” he said, eyeing her suspiciously, “Where are you going?”

“I.. er... have to get to Traum,” she explained, “I missed my train, and there aren’t any trains for the next few days, you wouldn’t happen to know if there are any...”

“You’re not from here.”

It wasn’t a question. The man was looking at her skin distastefully, and Elphaba pulled at her sleeves nervously.

“Not quite...”

“Can I see your Ozpass?”

This was what she had been dreading. She had realized soon after she witnessed her train disappearing into the distance, that she was trapped in a strange area without her Ozpass.  
Without it, she knew, using transport anywhere would be close to impossible. She had hoped that she would - somehow - be able to convince the people at the bus company to let her use the bus without it, but even then she knew it was unlikely. And the policeman who had stopped her didn’t seem to be the kind that was swayed easily.

Things were not going well.

“Well, you see,” she said, feigning confidence, “The train I was supposed to catch...”

The man gave her a look. “So you don’t have your Ozpass?”

“Not right now, no... but it’s in my bag, on the train.”

“You know you can’t just walk around Oz without an Ozpass, right? I’m going to have to take you down to the station...”

Elphaba could feel the panic begin to rise in her chest. If they took her to the station and called her father, this would be the end of the journey for her.

“Look, there’s a reasonable explanation...” she said, quickly, but the man silenced her with his hand.

“I’m sorry... the rules are the rules.”

He pulled out a notebook and began scribbling in it when a smooth voice cut in.

“Hello officer.”

 _Oh great._ She tried to ignore the slight feeling of relief she felt. _Just what I need._

The man looked up and blinked a few times and the tall boy standing before him.

“Can I help you?”

Fiyero smiled, “Yes. I’m Fiyero Tiggular.”

Elphaba ground her teeth. What was he doing? As though by saying his name he was somehow going to make the...

Tiggular.

Where had she heard that before? The name sounded extremely familiar.

_Wait. Tiggular? As in..._

Elphaba audibly gasped, but quickly pretended it was a yawn. It was an unnecessary precaution, however, since the guard was ignoring her. Instead he was leering at Fiyero with a servile expression on his face.

“Prince Fiyero! What an honour.”

“I’m sure. But it would be an even bigger honour if you could stop harassing my friend.”

The man looked at Elphaba with an alarmed expression, “Was I harassing you?” he asked her, affronted. He turned back to Fiyero, “My lord, I was merely asking the lady...”

“It’s all forgiven.” Fiyero said, wearily, “Now if you could just please point us in the direction of the nearest carriage rental shop, we’ll be on our way.”

Fiyero listened as the man gave him directions, but Elphaba’s mind was elsewhere.

_He’s a Prince?  
_

_And not just any prince. The ‘scandalcious’ playboy prince who threw the Vinkus’s most outrageous parties?  
_

_The prince Galinda had been promising she’d one day meet and marry?  
_

_If only Galinda knew,_ Elphaba thought, _mildly amused._

But while Fiyero’s revelation left her slightly amused, and very surprised, it also left her miffed. Partly because he had completely lied about who he was, and partly because she didn’t like it that he had ‘saved’ her. She wasn’t a damsel in distress. She didn’t need him to help her. She could have dealt with that man herself.

 _Stop being foolish, Elphaba,_ she chided herself, _He helped you. Why can’t you just be grateful?_

The officer had sidled away after apologizing profusely to Fiyero, and the Vinkun prince had finally turned to face her. He gave her a wan smile.

“It’s about a twenty minute walk from here, you coming?”

She nodded and followed him wordlessly as he took off down the road. She kept her eyes glued onto the pebbles on the ground as though they were the most fascinating thing on the planet.

_Thank him, you dolt._

“Fiyero... I...”

“I’m sorry.”

She looked up at him, surprised.

“Excuse me?”

He made a face, “You heard me. Don’t make me say it again.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For... everything. For the museum... for irritating you. For making you hate me... I’m sorry.”

“I...”

He was looking at her intensely, and she was astonished by how genuine his words sounded.

“It’s fine,” she mumbled, “I’m sorry too. And thank you...” she gestured behind them, “..for that.”

He grinned, and she could see his azure eyes light up, their familiar twinkle returning.

“So we’re friends, now?”

“I suppose so...”

“Awesome. Otherwise this would have been a really boring trip. But at least you can’t ignore me by reading your book, huh grasshopper?”

**Author's Note:**

> Please review! I'd love to hear what you think.


End file.
